Dear readers,

I would like to inform you that in a few hours I'll set off for Barcelona, and therefore I won't be able to cover the final of the Bausch & Lomb Championships. Also, I suppose I won't have time to update Women's Tennis Blog with news from the Family Circle Cup in Charleston. I'm really sad I'll miss this important tournament, but I'm also very happy to hit the road after quite a long time (as you may have read on my About page, besides my great love of tennis, I absolutely love to travel).

Don't be too disappointed, to keep you amused I've prepared some fun articles in advance.

Tip: There is no better way to get informed about the Family Circle Cup in Charleston than to check out Women Who Serve, a blog written by Diane, who's already at the tournament, following the qualifications. Her covering of tennis is always good, and I believe you'll find a bunch of interesting articles about the tournament on her site.

All the best,

Marija

Austria’s Daniela Klemenschits, who was diagnosed last year with a rare form of abdominal cancer, passed away on Wednesday at the age of 25.

Daniela’s twin sister Sandra, who was also diagnosed with the disease, is reported to be recovering.

To help raise money for the twin’s costly medical expenses, the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour hosted an online auction in July 2007, which raised approximately $70,000 dollars. Justine Henin, Amelie Mauresmo, Steffi Graf, Martina Hingis, Ana Ivanovic, Maria Sharapova, Nicole Vaidisova, and Samantha Stosur were among the players who donated items for auction.

The Klemenschits twins played doubles together. They reached the finals of Istambul in 2005, and the semifinals of both Stockholm and Budapest, also in 2005. When they were on the ITF circuit, they won twenty doubles titles. They were also members of the Austrian Fed Cup team in 2005. (via On the Baseline, Women Who Serve; photo via Fed Cup)

Hello everyone!

I’ve just created a Facebook group for all us fans of women's tennis. I hope we'll make a nice little community there.

It's still brand new, only one hour old, so hurry up to be one of its first members. I would like the group to evolve into a place where women's tennis fans share their thoughts and views about female players. In addition, we can share photos, videos and stories related to our tennis stars. You can join the group by clicking here.

Also, I would like to have you as a friend on Facebook. If you want to be my friend too, you can do so by clicking here.

Looking forward to interacting with you.

Marija

Wimbledon finalist Chris Lewis was so kind as to contribute to Women's Tennis Blog sharing a few words about best New Zealand's tennis player Marina Erakovic, whom he coached for a significant period of time. In the article he points out some characteristics of Marina's game, and analyzes her prospects at the upcoming Sony Ericsson Open where she's a wildcard.

Hi Marija, my name is Chris Lewis. I'm from New Zealand. I stumbled upon your post about Marina Erakovic, and, as Marina's coach for nine years (from the age of 8 until she was 17), I thought your readers might be interested in knowing a little bit more about her.

After reaching the semifinal of Memphis less than a month ago, Marina is the first NZ woman to break into the top 100 for over twenty years. As a consequence, she has now become one of New Zealand's most widely recognized athletes. Read more »

Nine-year-old Australian, Lauryn Edwards, has been banned from playing tennis by her local club because she grunts too loudly.

Lauryn will be permitted to play only if her father can guarantee she won’t grunt on court.

Mr Edwards said: "How can I guarantee that? She's been doing it since she was really little. She's her own person. What do they want me to do? Put Band-Aids over her mouth? They made her cry on the court when they told her. She was in such a state I had to bring her home mid-match."

Maria Sharapova, Lauryn's favorite tennis player, and Monica Seles must be so proud. (source: Adelaide Now)